Study on intestinal transport of Veratrum alkaloids compatible with Panax ginseng across the Caco-2 cell monolayer model by UPLC-ESI-MS method

The Caco-2 cells have been recognized as effective tools to be applied to imitate the drug absorption in human intestine for the transport of drug. In this study, Caco-2 cell monolayer model was used to study compatibility of the transport of the Veratrum alkaloids in different proportions with Panax ginseng. A specific ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometric (UPLC-ESI-MS) method is developed for the semi-quantitative determination of Veratrum alkaloids on intestinal transport with berberine as internal standard (IS). In the Caco-2 model constructed, three influencing factors are investigated, including time, concentration and recovery rates of the Veratrum alkaloids during the uptake from AP (apical side) to BL (basolateral side). The results suggest that the flux of Veratrum alkaloids is time dependent and concentration dependent. And the absorption of all eight Veratrum alkaloids increase after compatibility with Panax ginseng compared to the single Veratrum nigrum extraction. This research was studied from the perspective of intestinal absorption by the UPLC-ESI-MS method. This method was successfully applied to transport studies of the Veratrum alkaloids and the interaction mechanism between Veratrum nigrum and Panax ginseng. (C) 2015 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.